Gov. Seyi Makinde on Thursday in Ibadan enumerated the achievements of his administration as part of activities marking the second anniversary of the 9th Oyo State House of Assembly,
In his speech before the lawmakers tagged: ‘State of the State Address’, Makinde recalled last Saturday night’s attack on residents of Igangan community in Ibarapa area of the state by unknown gunmen.
He assured the people of the state that his administration was determined to ensure that such an attack would not occur again.
The governor revealed that his government had started adjusting security architecture to respond to the current situation in the state.
He said government had operationalized the Western Nigeria Security Network -codenamed ‘Amotekun’ with 1,500 corps and deployed them to all 33 local government areas of Oyo State.
“We also supported federal security operatives by providing operational vehicles, communication gadgets, bulletproof vests and other security equipment to facilitate their work.
“We set up a Security Task Force, which meets weekly to assess security threats and proffer solutions that will work for us.
“We have strengthened our security architecture by expanding the operations of the Security Control Room and City Watch facilities at the Oyo State Security Trust Fund headquarters, Onireke, Jericho here in Ibadan,” he stated.
Makinde further posited that his administration had continued to focus on the four pillars: Economy, Education, Healthcare and Security.
The governor, who maintained that the prosperity of the people of Oyo state remained the core driver of his administration’s policies and projects, revealed that the state’s internally generated revenue “has been jacked up to about N1 billion monthly.”
“This gives us N12 billion to plough back into the economy each year.
“We have invested these monies wisely in infrastructure development, especially in the construction of roads.”
Recounting his achievements on infrastructure; Makinde said the 65km Moniya-Iseyin road had been completed and inaugurated, “likewise the Challenge-Felele junction in Ibadan is now wearing a new look.
“The junction improvements we did there have brought succour to road users who used to waste valuable time in traffic.
“The 21km Airport-Ajia-New Ife express road with a spur to Amuloko is about 60 per cent complete.
“These are just a few of the major road projects we have embarked on in the past year.”
Speaking on education; the governor intimated the lawmakers that his administration had secured sole ownership of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Ogbomoso and that he had reduced the institution’s tuition fees by 25 per cent.
He vowed that never again would the institution experience incessant strikes due to non-payment of salaries.
He added that his government had completed over 300 projects in the state’s public schools.
“We are resuscitating moribund industries. We concession the once moribund Agbowo Shopping Complex, Ibadan and it is now being upgraded and reconstructed.
“The pacesetter asphalt plant and Quarry, Ijaiye, which we handed over to concessionaires in May 2020 is now producing asphalt for the construction of our roads.
“We have just commissioned the reconstructed Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency (OYSADA) Headquarters, Saki.
“We have given life to once-moribund cassava processing plants at Ilora and Ilaju.
“We are ensuring that these facilities will never go moribund again by putting them in the hands of the private sector while the government provides supporting infrastructure.
“The Akufo and Eruwa farm settlements which we proposed to convert into farm estates have now been contracted for conversion into agribusiness industrial hubs.
“In addition, we recently flagged off the construction of the Fasola Agribusiness Industrial Hub.
“The contractors are presently on-site and have promised that the project will be completed within a year,” he stated.
In the health sector, Makinde said he had awarded contracts for the renovation and upgrade of 299 Primary Healthcare Centres (PHC) across Oyo state.
He posited that in the shortest possible time, each of the 351 wards in Oyo state would have a standard and functioning PHC.
“We have procured and installed new equipment in these facilities, including ultra-sound scanning machines, High Dependency Units and state of the art laboratories.
“We have sponsored an Executive Bill that protects our senior citizens in Oyo state and have followed this up with establishing the Geriatric Centre at the former Jericho Specialist Hospital building at Jericho, Ibadan,” he stated
He mentioned that the ongoing newly reconstructed and upgraded Lekan Salami Sports Complex, Adamasingba would be ready for inauguration soon.
Makinde appreciated the lawmakers for their support and sought for their continued cooperation.
The assembly thereafter passed a vote of confidence in the governor for his unprecedented achievements across all sectors.
The Deputy Speaker of the House, Mr Abiodun Fadeyi, representing Ona-ara state constituency, moved a motion for the vote of confidence and was seconded by Mr Dele Adeola – representing Iseyin/ Itesiwaju state constituency.(NAN)
